Snow
by Soundspeed
Summary: Toph was always reluctant to visit the South Pole, even with her friends. But a certain warrior is there to help her along, and she learns that it just might not be so bad. A Tokka oneshot.


Nickelodeon owns all rights to _Avatar: the Last Airbender_. I don't claim to own them. This work is not intended for any form of profit and has been written without permission.

Moving right along, after seeing _The Western Air Temple_ (no, I won't tell you where I found it; it's not really that hard to find anyway) I felt compelled to write, seeing as I'm probably in for a lengthy absence from the show. This is just a little one-shot I came up with; after writing about half of the third chapter of _Sunset_ I felt the need to take a brief break from that venture. Don't worry, I'll be back on that horse soon enough. Literally.

…Wait, what?

--------

**Snow**

Had she been able to see his face, she supposed she'd be staring straight into his idiotic grin. It was tough sometimes, but for Toph Bei Fong, the telltale signs were definitely there.

"You're going to love the South Pole," the warrior proclaimed, an irritating amount of excitement present in his voice.

_Oh yeah. Idiotic grin, and no mistake._

It didn't take her long to come up with a retort. It never had, and this instance was no exception. "Why does that make me feel exactly like I'm _not_ going to enjoy it, Snoozles?"

Honestly, how did she end up letting herself get talked into these things? Certainly it wasn't Sokka. He couldn't argue his way in and out of his own trousers—she knew this for a fact; she'd seen him try. Maybe it was the circumstance. Ozai had fallen mere months before, Zuko placed at the throne. The world was slowly coming back into balance, and now Katara and Sokka wanted to visit their home after over a year away. She couldn't blame them; Spirits knew that even thick-layered Toph missed her parents every once in a while. But did they have to live in such a desolate, literally end-of-the-world place?

The wind howled, ripping through her green Earth Kingdom attire like an icy blade pressed flat against her bosom, and she shivered violently. It was as if the spirits were laughing at her, taunting her for being so woefully out of place. Like a tiger-seal flying through the air.

"Are you okay Toph?" Sokka again. At least he had the good sense to know that this wasn't a favorable situation for her.

"Do I look okay Snoozles?" she spat through a sniffle. "It's freezing. I don't know how you two can take it."

"It can take some getting used to." That was Aang, calling back from the reins, where he was usually seated. "Believe me, when Katara broke me out of that iceberg, it wasn't a whole lot of fun for the first day or so."

_Thanks, Twinkletoes. You certainly know how to reassure a girl._

Nothing else for it, Toph stubbornly crossed her arms and slumped back against Appa's saddle. "Well, I'm definitely _not_ having fun."

No one seemed to take any notice. Perhaps by now the group was used to Toph's complaints and had simply shrugged them off. Not even Appa seemed willing to humor her anymore; he remained stolidly silent as they soared through the increasingly-chilly air. _Or maybe he's just frozen in mid-flight. Couldn't blame him._

"Maybe I'll just curl up and freeze too," Toph muttered inaudibly.

And suddenly, as if an answer to her proclamation, something heavy draped itself across her body, enveloping her in a tight, almost choking hold. She let out a small, startled squeal as she tried to fight her way out of the Thing's grasp.

"Toph? Toph! Calm down, will you?" Sokka's voice snapped her back into her senses. Her calm consciousness returned, and she was able to fully assess her situation.

_What's that smell? Is that old seal jerky?_ "Sokka!? Is this your coat?"

The warrior's laugh was muffled slightly by the fact that the coat was still draped over the blind earthbender's ears. "Hold on a second—I'll fix that for you."

Before Toph could protest, she felt two hands grasp the oversized thing and pull it down around her shoulders so that her head poked through the top. There wasn't much hope for her arms though; the sleeves hung down, way past her hands.

She heard Katara giggle. "My Toph, it looks like that thing ate you."

"Stuff it," she said quickly, a little red in the face. "Sokka, take your coat back. You can't freeze out here; you need to see your family."

Toph heard the warrior laugh, which for some reason seemed to warm her even more than the coat had. "Don't worry about me—I'm used to this. Katara can tell you all about the time when I decided to go skinny-dipping in the ocean."

"Oh, it was something," Katara agreed. "You see, one day Sokka woke up and decided he was going to live the rest of his life among the penguins. Well…"

Katara carried on with the story, not noticing that Toph had sunk down into the folds of the gigantic coat, snoring gently.

--------

_"Do you think we should wake her?"_

_"I dunno…maybe we should let her sleep through it."_

_"That's probably a good idea—PENGUIN!"_

"Nice one Aang; that definitely woke her up."

Toph awoke from her peaceful slumber just in time to feel the young Avatar race off of Appa and into the distance.

"I guess we'll catch up with him later," Katara mused.

"Hey Toph, since you're awake, we might as well show you around," Sokka commented.

_Holy Badgermoles, was it cold._ Toph had thought it cold before, but this took things to a whole new level. It felt like things were biting at her skin all over her body with no sign of relenting. Thankfully the wind was gone, but in its stead was a sort of silent, still cold that threatened to smother and freeze you to the core if you let it. It was agonizing. Her feet, in particular, felt nearly numb. Already her vision was beginning to cloud over; her senses were dulling by the second. Her entire body was screaming at her, _You IDIOT! Why would you let yourself be dragged all the way down here? How does ANYONE live this way!?_ She didn't know what was worse—the fact that she didn't know the answer or the fact that the cold was so silent it seemed to reinforce the fact that no one else knew it either.

Toph was going to tell them off, ask them just how in the name of Kuei they could possibly live down here, but when she opened her mouth all that seemed to come out was, "My…feet…"

She hated the way she sounded. So weak, vulnerable.

Apparently Sokka was taken aback as well, because he was silent for a second or two before replying, "Well, put these on. I got them for you; I figured you might need them."

Before she knew what was happening, Toph felt something enveloping both of her feet. It was a warm, heavenly feeling, and her toes finally started to feel alive again. But on the downside, any sight that she had just disappeared.

"Thanks Snoozles," she said, possibly a little more snidely than she meant, "but now I can't see a thing."

"That's okay," Katara put in quickly, before Sokka could retaliate. "It's all ice here. You wouldn't be able to see anything anyway."

_This place gets better and better._

"But how am I supposed to get around?"

There was an awkward silence, and it seemed like an eternity before Sokka offered, "I can lead you around, if you want."

Her feet may have been rendered useless, but Toph could still sense the hesitation in the warrior's voice. How ironic, she thought, that a warrior who had fearlessly faced down legions of Fire Nation troops could be so timid around a twelve-year-old girl!

She sighed heavily. "It's okay, I'm not going to bite you." She didn't really know why, but she wasn't actually all that opposed to the idea of Sokka leading her around.

Upon uttering this statement, she felt a larger, heavier hand grasp hers in a firm but gentle hold. "Well, come on then." He sounded more sure of himself now.

Toph allowed herself to be led off of Appa and down onto the slick surface, trying as best as she could to stay upright against the reduced traction and Sokka's ridiculously large coat draping across her feet.

"I'm going to go and let everyone know we're here," Toph heard Katara say off to her right. All she heard after that were her rapidly fading footsteps. _How can anyone run on this stuff?_

And with that thought fresh in her mind, she slipped. It happened so fast, so suddenly, that it surprised even Sokka, who lost his hold on her hand as she fell.

_I'm going to die,_ she thought. _I'm going to split my head open on this horrible ice and die._

But she didn't. Her landing was surprisingly soft, and for a second she thought that Sokka's coat might have broken her fall. But when she felt around wildly for something to help herself up with, she felt her hands sink into a cool, soft surface. It felt nice and relaxing, like she could fall asleep in it. It was like her mother's embrace on a cool autumn morning. Like a pile of soft leaves from the sun-apple trees from the orchard around the back of their house. An eternal, unshakable embrace.

"Toph, are you okay!?" came Sokka's voice. Toph felt a hand land on her shoulder suddenly, which snapped her out of her musings.

She blushed a little. "I'm…I'm fine."

"That's good," she heard him say.

"Hey Sokka?" she asked timidly.

"Yeah?"

"What is this stuff?" She held out a shaky hand full of the wondrous substance.

She heard him chuckle. "That's snow."

"Snow?" She'd never heard of such a magical thing.

"Snow," the warrior repeated. "It's kind of like rain, only frozen. And a lot prettier."

_Snow…_ It was as though the spirits had come down and offered Toph her eyesight back. A million possibilities appeared in her mind with this new toy, and she smiled as her favorite one presented itself. Sensing exactly where Sokka was standing (his hand was still upon her shoulder), she quickly scooped up a handful of the stuff and flung it in his direction. Her aim was met with a satisfying "_Oof!"_

"What was that for?" Sokka protested as Toph began to get up.

"That," Toph began as she rose shakily, "was for not catching me." She was almost standing when she slipped again, falling forward with a cry.

This time, however, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her midsection, catching her in a secure hold and breaking her fall.

"How about that time?" the warrior inquired, a hint of a laugh playing on his voice.

Toph could feel her face burning, and she couldn't help but smile through her blush. "Much better."

Maybe this place had its upsides after all.


End file.
